E3: The Good, The Great, and The Best

Here’s a recap of what we believe were the most exciting games, and a few announcements, that E3 2015 had to offer.

E3 2015 has come and gone and has left a sea of excited gamers in its wake. This year’s E3 wasn’t about new consoles or new gaming gimmicks (although Sony did show off their upcoming VR headset Project Morpheus) – it was all about the games, as it should be every year.

SONY

Starting off with Sony, who were showcasing what gamers could expect to see on their PS4 console in the near (or in some cases not so near) future.

The Last Guardian

This was hands down the most exciting announcement at E3 this year. Ever since it was first shown way back in 2009 for the PS3, Fumito Ueda’s game has been in serious development hell. Many people believed that it was never going to see the light of day. However, Shuhei Yoshida, President of Sony’s Worldwide Studios for Sony Computer Entertainment Inc (that is some title), came out on stage with a huge grin on his face as he introduced a new gameplay trailer for The Last Guardian. The room went wild, people were standing up and applauding, and the trailer did not disappoint. We cannot wait for this unusually wonderful-looking game, which will revolve around the developing friendship between the boy and a giant, feathered creature, somewhere between a dog and a griffin, named Trico. The release date is slated for 2016, but, knowing this game’s difficult history, that may change.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Uncharted has been one of Sony’s most successful exclusive franchises. Developed by Naughty Dog Studios, this long-awaited fourth instalment looks to be one of the most breathtaking games in the series so far. Sony treated us to an excellent slice of gameplay featuring Nathan Drake and his mentor Sully, who have to fight their way through crowded hillside market stalls in what appears to be a South American city, before speeding off in a downhill chase in a mud-covered jeep. Needless to say, we’re excited. Sony have announced that we will see Uncharted 4 in the first quarter of 2016.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

What have Guerrilla Games being doing, exactly? Ever since the last Killzone at the beginning of the PS4’s life cycle they have been very quiet. At E3 2015 they broke the silence with a new IP, Horizon: Zero Dawn. The trailer they showed features a red-headed woman in a futuristic-prehistoric setting having to take on some pretty dangerous looking robot dinosaurs. If the trailer’s anything to go by, Horizon: Zero Dawn will be an interesting and fresh new game, not only because it features a female lead, but also because it takes place in a completely unfamiliar, and yet somehow recognisable world with an intriguing mix of very old and very new.

Star Wars Battlefront

This eagerly anticipated Star Wars game was shown at both Sony and EA’s conferences and it has had fans purring, whooping and jumping with joy. The stunning visuals, the incredible sound, the epic battles, Star Wars Battlefront puts you right into the heart of the Star Wars action and it looks so good. It’s no wonder that IGN gave it their E3 2015 Game of the Show award, and by the looks of it, it was thoroughly deserved. We can’t wait to get our hands on this glorious online multiplayer game.

Final Fantasy VII HD

Final Fantasy is an incredibly beloved franchise for many gamers out there. When Sony introduced their trailer for this remake of the PS1 original, people in the room found it incredibly hard to contain their excitement. Actually, they didn’t bother to contain it, they all went mad. This trailer had one of the loudest cheers of the night and it’s because fans have been dying to see this game remade for years. They haven’t simply remastered the original PS1 game, they’ve gone much further than that; they’ve opened up the lid, taken out the insides and fitted a brand new engine. This PS4 version of Final Fantasy VII will be an entirely remade version of the much treasured Japanese game. We are all looking forward to playing the final product.

Firewatch

Before this conference, we weren’t entirely sure when and where we were going to see a console version of this game. Developed by Campo Santo with the help of renowned British artist Olly Moss (check out his posters, they’re brilliant), Firewatch is a beautiful first-person adventure game which takes place in the Wyoming wilderness in 1989. You play as Henry, a fire lookout who has been assigned to his own tower in Shoshone National Forest and, whilst on his patrols of the area, discovers a series of clues relating to mysterious goings on in the vicinity. Your only means of communication is a walkie-talkie which connects him to Delilah, his supervisor. It looks to be an incredibly interesting and different game, much like Gone Home back in 2013, and one which we are very excited to play to uncover its many secrets.

Shenmue 3

Shenmue holds a very special place in many gamers’ hearts. Originally published on the Dreamcast back in 1999, Shenmue’s director, Yu Suzuki has been desperate to make another game in the series for a while now. Along with the announcement that The Last Guardian is actually a thing, bringing Yu Suzuki onstage and announcing the Kickstarter campaign for Shenmue 3 was probably the biggest and most welcome surprise of the conference. The game now holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest video game to raise $1 million in contributions on a crowdfunding platform. It managed to reach its target of $2 million in less than a day and it now looks on course to become a reality thanks to Sony’s conference. “We can unfold the continuous story,” said creator Yu Suzuki. “Shenmue 3 will be the story you have waited for. The fate of Shenmue is in your hands now.” Shenmue’s fate was in our hands and now its in theirs; fingers crossed Yu Suzuki and his team don’t let us down.

No Man’s Sky

This ridiculously huge game has been developed by a tiny independent studio from Guildford called Hello Games. After developing their mobile hit Joe Danger, they’ve now turned their hand to the massive open universe adventure game No Man’s Sky. Every time they demo their game it’s unbelievable to see the expansive world they’ve managed to create with so few resources. With it being a PS4 and PC exclusive, many fans of the Sony console are incredibly excited about this game, and their new demo just fuelled those flames. When Hello Games’ Sean Murray came onstage to play a section of the game, we were swept away to a beautiful universe, full of new planets and spaceships. With it being an online game you can go wherever you want and explore this vast world. No Man’s Sky is staggering and overwhelming. You’d never have to buy another game again.

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